(1) Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device and method for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish.
(2) Description of Related Art
In devices and methods of the known kind, after a manual throat cut the fish are laid in fish receptacles of the fish receiving drum and moved continuously past the individual work stations which are located in the region of the circular path of the drum. It also happens that the fish are laid without their throats cut in the known devices. The fish receiving drum is rotatable about a vertical shaft, so that the fish are laid in the fish receptacles with the head pointing upwards (that is, in a vertical position) and with the tail at the bottom, and moved on an essentially horizontal circular path.
In devices of the above-mentioned kind, it is of particular importance that on the one hand the ergonomic conditions for the operator meet the requirements and on the other hand the unheaded fish are opened in the region of the gill cavity without the collarbones and collarbone tip of the respective fish being damaged, the abdominal cavity is opened with a central cut and the entrails are removed from the abdominal cavity undamaged. Optionally, and in fact depending on the fish species, the fish size and other conditions which define the state of the fish, the slaughter cut is to be made in the direction of the tail as far as the anus or beyond it. The fish torsos, fish heads and entrails are to be capable of being carried away separately from each other. Furthermore it is desirable that the device can be used universally, e.g. for slaughtering and/or heading with or without prior throat cutting.
All the above devices and methods, however, have the disadvantage that they display unfavourable ergonomics for the operator, particularly against the background that the devices are used mainly on board fishing boats/trawlers which sometimes have a deck height of not more than 2 m. In the known devices, the operator must bend over the device on account of the arrangement of the fish receiving drum, which is possible only with great difficulty in the cramped conditions. Further, the operator must perform lifting work due to the position of the fish in the fish receptacle, which, considered over the day/shift, on account of the heavy weight is an enormous physical burden. Furthermore, the cutting results with the known devices and methods are not satisfactory, particularly as far as preparation of the fish for further processing as saltfish is concerned. A further disadvantage lies in that the entrails are destroyed with the traditional devices or during the known methods, so that they are no longer usable or contaminate the fish or abdominal cavity with germs or the like. Due to the fact that the fish are transported and processed in vertical orientation, there is a lack of head support, leading to inconsistent and imprecise cuts, as the head is movable throughout processing. As a result of this, moreover, the head cannot be carried away at any location due to the lack of fixing. Continuous transport of the fish at the individual processing stations also leads to the cutting results being sometimes inadequate, as precise processing on a moving object is very difficult or requires very high structural expenditure. In the event that the fish are laid without their throats cut in the fish receptacles, the pharynx cutting apparatus cuts throat, membrane and pharynx in one. However, this leads to a cut which damages the collarbones and is imprecise in guiding the cut. Further, by a method without prior throat cutting it is not ensured that the membrane is reliably severed from the entrails.